An inspired fusion of fact and fiction, Stéphanie di Giusto’s debut takes as its subject the life and work of the underappreciated American dancer Loïe Fuller. The Dancer follows Fuller (alluringly portrayed by the singer Soko) as she makes her way from America to Belle époque Europe, where her innovations in movement, costume and lighting dazzle audiences and bring her into contact—and some friction—with the likes of Isadora Duncan (played by Lily-Rose Depp).

Based on Giovanni Lista’s novel about Fuller, The Dancer is a bio-pic buoyed with conjecture—which is another way of saying that this is history transformed into rapturous, visually breathtaking cinema, reminding us of the legacy of one of America’s forgotten artistic pioneers.